Various and Sundry Food Thoughts

Blogger Brunch

I went to a fun blogger brunch at Julie's place. We had about ten or twelve people show up, all area (though not all food) bloggers. Nice meeting or seeing y'all again, Rachel, Simone, Meg, Xani, Erin, Jamaila (who has four blogs), Janet and Anne. I had no idea that so many bloggers were either designers or lawyers / in pre-law. And Julie, you have a lovely kitchen. Everything was good and I can't remember everything I ate . I liked it all, but there were a few good quiches, some tasty fruit salad, hummus and the best sundried tomato pesto/spread/dip I have ever had. I need that recipe again. I made a buttermilk pie, the recipe for which I found on the NPR website.

Help Friends, Get Korean Food

I had to leave early to help some friends move into a nice new house just across the street from the Rotunda. It was an easy move distance-wise because they are moving out of their smaller house in Hampden. They lived on one of the side streets where there is absolutely no parking in any way, shape or form. Ever. They are very happy now - parking all the time! Plus they treated me to Suzie Soba's for dinner afterwards. I still love her bibimbap, but do try the bulgogi when you can.

From the "This Stuff Is Naaaaas-ty!" Files

Don't. Ever. Buy. This:


It does not taste like cherries, or chocolate, or Dr. Pepper (Diet Dr. Pepper actually does, remarkably). I bought it not looking, thinking I had picked up just your ordinary Diet Dr. Pepper. I forced myself to drink it just to not waste the $1.35 plus tax, but I couldn't get through much. Out in the trash with barely a few ounces gone.

So should I even bother canceling my dinner reservations for Friday night?

You know, I don't even give a flying confit about Top Chef 4, despite the fact that this recent fourth season of Project Runway rocked (and congrats to Annapolis-born winner Christian - you go, fierce girl! He's only 22, too). Instead, I am contentedly watching Aftermath: Population Zero on the National Geographic Channel. I tried to watch it Sunday night but fell asleep halfway through (yes, 9PM on the day that we set the clocks forward - so really my body thought it was 8:00!). I'm catching up now, 'cuz I love these post-apocalyptic, "what-if" type shows. It's the latest version of (unrelated) Alan Wiseman's book The World Without Us, my favorite book of 2007, and the ensuing (also unrelated) "sex'd up TV special," Life After People on the History Channel. The premise of all of them: what would happen to the world, animals and all, if every last human being - every man, woman and child - disappeared all at once? What of ours would last, and for how long? And how would other animals and life forms last? Our pets, SOL if they can't get outta the house (I can haz owner back pleez? I can hungree.), the NY Subway flooded in less than 2 days (Which o' yooze turned the pumps off?) and nuclear power stations eventually overheat and explode because nobody's around to stop it (Oops). But on the plus side, our ancient buildings and monuments would survive, as would some modern stone and copper structures (Statue of Liberty hangs around for thousands of years, and Mount Rushmore for millions, though most skyscrapers will be gone in a century). And National Geographic is fun anyway. Most of their specials are pretty well done.

And then there's this:

This is too weird for the workweek. Is it the weekend yet?




Dear Lord.

Regi's

I just had a nice brunch with a friend at Regi's in Federal Hill. I get to Federal Hill infrequently and I'd never been to this place. Very quaint and a good choice.

There was no room outside, and the main room was way too noisy to chat, so we got a table in the back room where it was quieter. I talk softly, so this was good. After my friend ordered a mojito (about $8) - and I followed, with my own mojito and a Diet Coke - we ordered some brunch. Regi's has a good selection, and I was told that every item was pretty good. We each eyed the kobe sliders (about $13) - thick little burgers made from kobe beef. But so that we could each try the other's food, he ordered the sliders, and I went for the steak with eggs (the trucker's special, also around $13).

We chatted while munching on complimentary blueberry and corn muffins (not blueberry-and-corn muffins; I meant blueberry muffins and corn muffins). Then we each got our own plates. Immediately we cut some of our food up for the other to sample. I loved the steak. Medium, just as I asked for it, and very tender, though it was a little gristly on each end. Would've loved some A1 with it, but it was fine by itself. The eggs were pretty good, too, and the side order of fried potato chunks were standard fare. The kobe slider was a tastier beef burger than I am used to - very tender beef, though not remarkably flavorful. But I've had
tastier buffalo burgers, and I have to say, I find buffalo better than beef in every case. This includes kobe beef - in a contest, as far as I am concerned, kobe hardly holds a candle to buffalo meat. It holds it much better than most beef, but buffalo is better.

Altogether the total came to $50. A nice price to start the day, which culminated in several hours of just ogling houses for sale all over Federal Hill. Oh my God, these are such gorgeous houses! And it may sound weird to just go look at for-sale houses just to look at them. Apparently, my friend - a former real estate agent - tells me that the practice is much more common in DC. We saw some beautiful views of the city from the decks of homes and model homes that easily cost $400, $500 - $900K! The best one, not far from the Visionary Art Museum, had the most fun plastic food! I must get my hands on this stuff.

Easter Sunday Eatin' Part 1: Castaway of San Bernardino

Lots of eating yesterday - including two large meals and, well, nothing else. I know, I know, they recommend three square meals a day (or do they anymore?), but if you're full it's not the best idea to eat just because it's lunchtime!

Jim and our friend Gil and I all met up at this beautiful place called the Castaway, on a hilltop in the city of San Bernardino (ironically this city is also the home of McDonald's; if there, check out the McDonald's Museum). This is a lovely, sumptuous brunch and special-occasion facility high on a hilltop overlooking San Berdoo, which is not in itself a pretty city, but hell, it looks gorgeous from that super high hilltop!

The three of us went for brunch, normally $20 but due to the Easter rush, they added an extra $10 for what seemed to me to be a little less food - and not terribly different than their usual offerings, despite what the girl on the phone said. After valet parking our cars (you're not allowed to park yourself here), admiring the coy in the pond and trying unsuccessfully to avoid the crazy Easter Bunny man giving out plastic eggs, we headed inside to see a looooong line. Apparently, this was the line for food. But I'm still glad I made reservations.

So we were seated, and waited about 10 minutes for the line to get shorter. Odd, we were all doing things on our cell phones and personal organizers (me deleting the many pictures taking up space in the "Sent Items" folder). Then we headed for the food, and what an array of food it was! Just a partial list (I'll star those things I actually did get):

• bacon - delicious, greasy bacon *
  
• eggs benedict and scrambled eggs
  
• chili verde *
• smoked salmon and baked salmon with capers * x 2
• grilled veggies (including red pepper, green pepper and some very tough eggplant) *
• menudo and clam chowder
• enchiladas *
• chile relleno
• cheese blintzes *
• croissants and bagels
  
• roast beef cut right in front of your eyes!

And of course, there was dessert, with delicious chocolate flourless cake, three kinds of cheesecake, three more kinds of cake with whipped frosting on it. Oh God, I'm glad I have been going to the gym, because now I know where to go when I get back to Baltimore! After finding an acceptable brunch, of course (I hear John Shields' Gertrude's at the BMA is good, or at the Elkridge Furnace Inn in, of course, Elkridge).